Galatasaray off the mark in Champions League after netting four against Lille

Having lost their last three home games in UEFA competition, Lille got off to a nightmare start with the visitors taking the lead with only two minutes on the clock.

Alexsandro failed to properly deal with a cross and was duly punished by Junus Akgun, who took one touch to steady himself before lashing high into the net. Despite the setback, the home side struck back minutes later, and Alexsandro was instrumental in the build-up.

The Brazilian defender burst forward before producing an inch-perfect pass that allowed Soriba Diaoune to go around Ugurcan Cakir before slotting into the empty net. 

A pulsating back-and-forth affair saw both sides commit players forward, but chances came from nervy defending rather than incisive play. Victor Osimhen saw a penalty award overturned after the replays showed Berke Ozer hadn’t brought him down, before both sides exchanged goals again in the final minutes of the half.

Diaoune struck again to put the hosts in front, this time curling home a loose ball after Cakir parried back into his own box, but the lead didn’t last until half-time.

Roland Sallai surged down the right before delivering a cross that found Aleksey Batrakov all alone in the six-yard box, and he nodded home to make it 2-2 at the break. 

That equaliser gave Galatasaray the platform to take control in the second half, as they struck twice more before the hour mark. Lucas Torreira claimed the third just seven minutes after the restart as he got a faint touch on a corner, but Ozer should’ve done better as he pushed the ball into his own net at the near post.

Osimhen then came back to haunt his own side as he smashed the ball past Ozer from the edge of the area before showing his respect with a muted celebration. The home side responded with a series of substitutions, but couldn’t find a way back into the game as the Turkish visitors held on.  

The result means Lille have now lost their last five games in major European competition, and remain pointless after three games. Meanwhile, the win is a major boost for Galatasaray, kick-starting their campaign and leaving them flirting with the final qualification spots for now.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Soriba Diaoune (Lille) 

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